Space Hulk: Deathwing

 PC
User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 117 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 117
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 117
  3. Negative: 44 out of 117

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  1. YopSolo
    Feb 1, 2017
    7
    The space hulk environnement is awesome, but the gameplay is really poor ; It's a bit better in coop with friendly fire ON but still not enough to get hooked bu the game.
  2. Nokturnalex
    May 29, 2018
    6
    Bless the artists of this game for they have delivered a beautiful game worthy of the Imperium of Man, but cast out the animators, game mechanics designers and sound designers for their failure to deliver. While visually stunning, there's a massive lack of weight to all the animations and sound.

    In Warhammer 40k even something as simple as a regular Bolter (let alone a storm bolter) is    Bless the artists of this game for they have delivered a beautiful game worthy of the Imperium of Man, but cast out the animators, game mechanics designers and sound designers for their failure to deliver. While visually stunning, there's a massive lack of weight to all the animations and sound.

    In Warhammer 40k even something as simple as a regular Bolter (let alone a storm bolter) is supposed to hit like a truck, they're basically assault rifles that fire rocket propelled grenades. Yet, the enemies in this game barely flinch when you hit them and there's no satisfying sounds to accompany the hit. While there's a lot of Terminator weapons to use, they all feel weak. Yes, they are all capable of killing enemies but no matter which weapon you use the animations and sound design are all so bad they aren't satisfying to use. When enemies die they just kind of fall over, they don't get blown back by your Stormbolter spray, you don't hear the sounds of a Genestealer cooking inside it's carapace when you light it up with a Heavy Flamer, the Autocannon doesn't make lovely thunking sounds as the rounds rip Genestealers to shreds. The combat is just not satisfying at all and that's pretty much all this game has to offer.

    The gameplay mechanics surrounding that combat also lack.

    -The AI of your Terminator partners isn't the worst, but they require the enemy to get fairly close before they start opening fire.
    -The customization of your Terminator is extremely limited, forcing you to into standard configurations instead of allowing you to mix and match.
    -The skill tree is just extremely bland, the only tree that adds any active abilities is the Psionic tree, the rest are just passive upgrades.
    -Hacking turrets is pretty pointless beyond turning them off or destroying them because you can't change their "Friend or Foe" configuration. Meaning you can't use them to automatically help you, you can only manually help yourself by hacking it but you can't defend yourself while using a turret. (Also I'm pretty sure enemies won't spawn in rooms you're not near, meaning hacking closed doors and leaving turrets on to attack enemies is pointless, the turrets are more likely to shoot you than them.)
    -The story is pretty bland with no really interesting twists and turns, it's all generic.

    I wish this game was better but it falls into the rather large pile of Warhammer games that have failed to deliver.    … Expand
  3. Icemount
    Dec 15, 2016
    6
    It seems only fanboys or critics write here and score idiotically. No game that works is for a 0 score and only fantastic masterpieces deserve 10.
    My score here is 6, based for now purely on single play. I will adjust after some proper time spent in multi.
    Pros: +Graphics and design +Audio SFX & Voice +Setting holds true to WH40K universe +Combat is frantic and generally well    It seems only fanboys or critics write here and score idiotically. No game that works is for a 0 score and only fantastic masterpieces deserve 10.
    My score here is 6, based for now purely on single play. I will adjust after some proper time spent in multi.
    Pros:
    +Graphics and design
    +Audio SFX & Voice
    +Setting holds true to WH40K universe
    +Combat is frantic and generally well balanced

    Middle ground:
    *Customization options (only weapon unlocks and nothing you would not expect)
    *Progression (limited skill tree)
    *Optimization (I can't complain in 2K and GTX 1070 it is around 60 frames, but I can imagine lower specs will have issues with this game)

    Cons:
    -Music (basically there is none)
    -Mission (not level) design, I know this is backed by setting, but often backtracking is tiring.
    -Limited enemy pool    … Expand
  4. eldumloido
    Dec 15, 2016
    5
    Mediocre. With better optimization and a discount you can raise the score to 7. Playable with friends but there's better games out there. Example vermintide is similar but better in every way.
  5. BurpyMcFistyGut
    Dec 15, 2016
    5
    Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

    It appears that the two week extension certainly wasn't enough to fix one of the most important and widely reported problems in the beta : The framerate drop. Whilst the tutorial plays with no problems, as soon as you are told that "you aren't alone", frame rate drops to such a low value that movement is impossible. In addition to that audio breaks up    Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

    It appears that the two week extension certainly wasn't enough to fix one of the most important and widely reported problems in the beta : The framerate drop.

    Whilst the tutorial plays with no problems, as soon as you are told that "you aren't alone", frame rate drops to such a low value that movement is impossible.

    In addition to that audio breaks up constantly, and the intro movie to the single player mode was stuttering all over the place too.

    The good news is that it seems to only affect AMD processor users. Unfortunately the bad news is that this is the same problem that the "Squad" game had last year, and needed Epic to fix it. Whether they actually did or not, I dont know. Its also possible that Strueom are using an older version of the Unreal 4 engine. Either way, its a problem.

    The graphics are certainly nice, and the training mission plays without problems, but unfortunately after that, the game falls down. Hard. Into a canyon. Filled with molten lead.

    As of now, I would stay away.    … Expand
  6. Captain_Chaos
    Dec 18, 2016
    7
    Space Hulk: Deathwing is an FPS adaptation of the 1989 Space Hulk board game and draws on the EA tactics games of the early 90s. As in the 93 game, this entry stars the famous first company of the secretive Dark Angels chapter of Warhammer 40,000's genetically-altered poster boys, the Space Marines: the white-armored Deathwing. A space hulk dubbed the "Olethros" has dropped out of the warpSpace Hulk: Deathwing is an FPS adaptation of the 1989 Space Hulk board game and draws on the EA tactics games of the early 90s. As in the 93 game, this entry stars the famous first company of the secretive Dark Angels chapter of Warhammer 40,000's genetically-altered poster boys, the Space Marines: the white-armored Deathwing. A space hulk dubbed the "Olethros" has dropped out of the warp in Imperial territory, and the psychics of the Dark Angels have recieved a vision of a lost artefact of their chapter and an imminent threat. As a Librarian, a battle-hardened psychic veteran, you will lead two other Deathwing marines in a series of missions to penetrate the hulk, battle the alien Genestealers and retreive a piece of your chapter's history.

    Though a FPS, Deathwing's combat and overal pace are slower and chunkier then most other shooters out there. As you're wearing the incredibly bulky Tactical Dreadnought, or "Terminator" armor, movement speed is slow and sprinting is extremely limited- though conversely you can actually damage enemies by sprinting into them. Not unlike Space Marine, there is a fairly equal emphasis on melee and ranged combat, though this game lacks that one's comparitvely bombastic style and dramatic orchestral score, instead opting for imposing ambience of creaking metal, crumbling stone and the skittering of hostile claws. You may only carry a single firearm and melee weapon at a time, though you have unlimited reloads, though campaign or when playing the Librarian class in multiplayer, you can equip up to three psychic powers with various satisfying and devastating effects. Your enemies, the Genestealer horde, are numerous but don't have a terrible degree of variety or intelligence- some cloak, some spit, some can use guns or psychic lightning, and a handful are big. Mechanically speaking, it's nothing you haven't seen in other games. Their behaviours are extremely predictable, and their advantage lies in their numbers and aggressiveness.

    Solid, if limited in scope, Deathwing has decent controls and excellent atmosphere and sound, and particularly I must praise the level design- the imposing Imperial architecture of the vessels you explore are particularly memorable when compared ot the brown and boring warzones of military shooters. The voice acting is also good, but the dialogue is extremely stock. At the very least your Librarian character has spoken lines, but he doesn't even get a name, with subtitles identifying him simply as "Me". The game is challenging even on normal difficulty, but perhaps not for all the right reasons: You have limited supplies in terms of times Brother Nahum, your medic can heal and times you can access the "psygate" armory to heal and resupply. Learning to block is likely vital, as it is in Vermintide- though perhaps not to the same degree. However, it is impossible to block certain types of damage, namely bullets and rockets, and your ponderous movement speed means they are also hard to dodge. You can alleviate a lot of your own headaches by equipping Brother Barachiel, your heavy weapon guy, with Lightning Claws with which to block a lot of incoming damage, and equipping yourself with the Plasma Cannon to blow multiple 'Stealers away with it's impressive area damage.

    I also hear a lot about framerate and networking issues, and I myself have noticed steep frame loss when lots of Genestealers are on screen- which is often. There is also an issue where the game's collectibles, called Relics, may completely fail to spawn, necessitating restarting the current level. People I know that have the game report that while the campaign works enough to be playable, multiplayer is an absolute mess of disconnects and lag and they cannot finish even a single chapter. Considering this and the reviews, it's likely this game should have been delayed much longer then it was. However, as a veteran of Streum's previous title, EYE: Divine Cybermancy, I can tell you that optimization and bugfixes are probably a long time coming. I'm thankful to get this game as it is, and if you've got a powerful rig I can recommend it, with caution.    … Expand
  7. Axon23
    Dec 16, 2016
    7
    Space Hulk: Deathwing! Obiettivamente, spesso come il franchising Games Workshop ha mostrato negli anni, è un gioco di nicchia dove solo gli accaniti o meno fan dell'universo WH40K possono percepire determinati pregi o difetti. Al livello tecnico sicuramente niente da dire sul profilo del level disegn, quasi maniacale la cura di dettagli nella ricostruzione dell'ambientazione e delleSpace Hulk: Deathwing! Obiettivamente, spesso come il franchising Games Workshop ha mostrato negli anni, è un gioco di nicchia dove solo gli accaniti o meno fan dell'universo WH40K possono percepire determinati pregi o difetti. Al livello tecnico sicuramente niente da dire sul profilo del level disegn, quasi maniacale la cura di dettagli nella ricostruzione dell'ambientazione e delle astronavi da guerra imperiali dando una buona immedesimazione di quelle che sono le usanze,tradizioni e devozione degli Space Marine, soprattutto in capitoli come gli Angeli Oscuri e i Templari Neri. Problema riscontrato anche in altri giochi è che, si è stupefacente l'Unreal Engine ma bisogna starci un po' attenti a smanettarci troppo, il tutto risulta parecchio pesante con cali di frame non del tutto indifferenti specie se la mole di nemici diventa non indifferente. La fisica non è proprio il massimo con cadaveri che spesso si lasciano andare in modo strano e dubbioso, ma penso nulla che non possa prendere almeno un 6. Per quanto riguarda l'IA, dipende con quale scuola di pensiero la si affronta: da una parte non è nulla di particolarmente studiato, dall'altra cosa puoi aspettarti da bestie parassite che attaccano in massa? Per quanto riguarda gli armamenti nulla da dire, per chi è pratico dell'universo conosce grosso modo l'equipaggiamento di un Terminator ed effettivamente poche sono le aggiunte che si potrebbero fare senza sconvolgere troppo i canoni ma che comunque magari arriveranno in futuro. La storia e le missioni sono abbastanza semplici e lineari, arrivano dritte al sodo nel tipico stile Space Marines però magari qualcosa di più compartimentato sarebbe stato gradito. Nel complesso, come detto all'inizio, è un gioco che può interessare e piacere specialmente una determinata fascia di giocatori che magari già conoscono l'universo WH40K, sicuramente nulla di innovativo o mai visto a livello di gameplay e per quanto mi riguarda merita un voto di fascia media.
    Ciao!    … Expand
  8. Tomle1202
    May 31, 2018
    5
    With all the gorgeous graphics and atmospheric levels, the only thing Space Hulk: Deathwing lacks is a sense of accomplishment amidst the non-stop killing that hardly ever changes.
  9. CoreGamer1408
    Jul 6, 2023
    6
    Visually great looking game. Runs so much better than the trash PS4 version. Not a big W40K fan or anything, but it does give that W40k vibe for sure. As for the game it's kind of a repetitive horde shooter with constant hordes of respawning enemies. Only played it with A.I. teams mates and my advice is just don't bother. Probably get a higher score with human team mates, but who knows?
  10. vgi99
    Jan 3, 2021
    6
    Caution. For fans of Warhammer 40,000 only.

    Disadvantages of the game: 1. Literally a couple of attempts to swing the plot for the whole game. At the very beginning and towards the end. The line with the fallen angels is not revealed. The line of the deceased cruiser Templars is nothing more than decoration. The writers didn't even try to give the game an artistic value. The worst    Caution. For fans of Warhammer 40,000 only.

    Disadvantages of the game:
    1. Literally a couple of attempts to swing the plot for the whole game. At the very beginning and towards the end. The line with the fallen angels is not revealed. The line of the deceased cruiser Templars is nothing more than decoration. The writers didn't even try to give the game an artistic value. The worst example is bolterporn. If you are not familiar with this fantastic universe, then you shouldn't even start.
    2. The increase in difficulty in the game is realized only by throwing you monotonous enemies from all sides.
    3. Variety of enemies - it is practically nonexistent. The developers decided that there would be only tyranids.

    Advantages of the game:
    1. Visual row. Quite well-designed decorations that facilitate immersion. Everything is strictly according to the canons.
    2. The balance between system requirements and graphics quality is quite decent.
    3. Implemented psyker abilities, hero pumping and hacking turrets. It somehow brightens up the game.

    Should people not familiar with Warhammer 40,000 play this game? Obviously no.    … Expand
  11. Mithrandirkun
    Apr 9, 2020
    7
    Space Hulk Deathwing es un juego cooperativo basado en el juego de tablero de Games Workshop del mismo nombre.
    En el juego encarnaremos el papel de un Bibliotecario del capítulo de los Ángeles Oscuros durante el asalto a un pecio espacial.
    -Los gráficos de este juego estan muy bien, así como el diseño de arte y la ambientación del universo Warhammer 40.000. Sin embargo, en la Enhanced    Space Hulk Deathwing es un juego cooperativo basado en el juego de tablero de Games Workshop del mismo nombre.
    En el juego encarnaremos el papel de un Bibliotecario del capítulo de los Ángeles Oscuros durante el asalto a un pecio espacial.

    -Los gráficos de este juego estan muy bien, así como el diseño de arte y la ambientación del universo Warhammer 40.000. Sin embargo, en la Enhanced edition hay unos fallos en la carga de las texturas de alta resolución que no estaban en la edición normal y no los han solucionado.

    -El sonido es decente y la música sobretodo ambiental acompaña a la acción, pero no hay muchas canciones, ni ninguna especialmente remarcable.

    -La história da para unas 10 horas de partida con poco aliciente rejugable, ya que el mayor aliciente de este juego esta en el cooperativo multijugador.

    -La jugabilidad se centra en un first person shooter donde encarnamos el papel de un marine exterminador. El modo multijugador cooperativo, nos permitirá repetir las misiones de la campaña y otras aleatorias con hasta 4 jugadores, de las cuales tendremos 6 clases a elegir. Bibliotecario, Apotecario, Asalto, Pesado, Táctico e Inquisidor.

    Es un buen juego para jugar con amigos, especialmente si te gusta el universo de Warhammer 40.000, la campaña es relativamente corta y su história no es muy alla.
    El juego ha pasado por varios parches de corrección de errores hasta el lanzamiento de la edición definitiva y sigue teniendo bastantes errores, aunque ninguno tan grave que haga el juego injugable.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

73
#73 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
39
#39 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 46 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 46
  3. Negative: 5 out of 46
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Mar 21, 2017
    70
    A great game for dedicated fans of the Warhammer 40,000 setting, but a poor narrative and structure may get in the way for casual players. [Issue#259, p.55]
    Read full review
  2. Worth Playing
    Mar 14, 2017
    60
    Space Hulk: Deathwing can't seem to win on either front. As a solo experience, the gameplay is mediocre, the AI is rather inconsistent, and the objectives lack imagination. As a multiplayer game, it is pretty much dead. There's stuff in here for a dedicated Warhammer 40,000 fan to be excited about, especially how the game looks, but it certainly isn't the best outing for the license.
    Read full review
  3. games(TM)
    Mar 9, 2017
    40
    A really disappointing waste of the 40K license. [Issue#184, p.84]
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